1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card game. More specifically, the invention relates to a modified version of the traditional casino card game blackjack or twenty-one.
2. Prior Art
Blackjack or twenty-one is a well-known casino card game. Blackjack is played with one or more standard decks of 52 cards between a dealer and one or more players. The object of the game is for a player to accumulate a hand of cards having a point total exceeding that of the dealer, without exceeding twenty-one. For numbered cards, the point value equals the number value. Face cards (kings, queens, and Jacks) have a point value of ten. Aces are assigned a point value of either one or eleven as determined by the person holding the hand that included one or more aces. A two-card hand having a total point value of twenty-one is known as blackjack.
Blackjack play is commenced by a player making an initial wager (“the ante”) on the outcome of his or her upcoming hand. Players typically indicate their bet or wager by placing an appropriate number of chips or markers in a designated area of the blackjack table.
After the wagers have been placed, the dealer deals two cards to each player and two to him or herself. The dealer deals one card at a time to each player and then to the dealer before repeating the process with the second card. Each of the players' cards is dealt face up or face down depending on the number of decks being used. The dealer's initial two cards are typically dealt one face down and the other face up.
After the dealer and the players have been dealt an initial hand of two cards, each player in turn elects to receive additional cards (“hit”) or to wait (“stand”). A player may elect to take additional cards until he or she decides to stand or until the total point value of the player's hand exceeds twenty-one, known as “bust.” Once all players have either received their desired number of cards or have busted, the dealer turns over the face-down card. Based on the value of that card, the dealer takes additional cards or stands. Under most rules, a dealer must “stand” if the dealer's hand is equal or greater than seventeen and “hit” if the hand is less than seventeen.
Once the dealer has completed the play, the outcome of the game is determined. A player wins if either the dealer busts (dealer's hand exceeds twenty-one) or the player's hand has a greater point value than the dealer's hand. The winning player is paid at 1:1, i.e. receives an amount equal to the initial wager in addition to recovering the initial wager. If the dealer's hand exceeds that of a player's or if a player busts, the wager is lost. If a dealer and the player have equal hands (known as “tie” or “push”), the wager is returned to the player.
During the game, the players have a chance to increase their initial bet (“up the ante”). In addition, a player may split the hand in two hands each hand being supported by two wagers, each of an amount equal to the original wager. Another option is to “double down”, i.e. double the wager in exchange for an additional card.
Blackjack or twenty-one can be modified in various ways to increase the interest of the players. For example, it is often modified by options of various side wagers or side bets. Side wagers are attractive to players because they are perceived as “hedging” the player's chances. For example, a player may bet on a particular outcome of his or her hand. (U.S. Pat. No. 7,222,854). If the outcome is such that the main game is lost but the value of the hand matches the side bet, the player loses the main bet but collects money on the side bet. A similar bet may be placed on the outcome of the dealer's hand (U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,536,767 and 6,113,102). If the dealer receives a winning hand, but the hand also matches the player's side bet, the player loses the main wager but wins the side bet.
In another version of side betting, the players bet on a particular card, such as the next card being dealt. For example, a player may bet that the next card he or she receives will have a particular value (Canadian Application No. 2,281,350). Alternatively, a player may bet on the dealer's face-up card (U.S. Pat. No. 6,796,898) or a dealer's face-down card (U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,532).
In a more exciting variation, the traditional game can be modified by dealing three cards instead of two cards to the players, dealer, or both. For example, in U.S. Patent Application No. 2007/0228653, the players initially place a blackjack wager and a poker wager. The player is dealt three cards and the player uses the three cards to play the poker hand but selects two of the three cards to play the blackjack hand. After the dealer is dealt two cards, one up and one down as in traditional blackjack, the dealer reveals his or her up-card and the poker wager is paid, using a pay table, based on the rank of the player's three initial cards and the dealer's up-card. The blackjack wager is then played according to the traditional rules of blackjack, based on the player's selected two card blackjack hand.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2007/0262524 describes another variation of a three card blackjack game. According to the rules of the game in this patent application, the player places one ante wager and both the player and the dealer are dealt three cards. Both the player and the dealer choose a best hand comprising of two or three cards of the three cards dealt, and the wager is paid if the best player hand beats the best dealer hand. After choosing the best two or three-card hand, the player has a choice to raise if he places a raise wager and can continue the game. If the dealer's hand does not meet qualifying criteria (a total of 17-21) then the player does not win or lose the ante wager, or in an alternative variation, the player wins both the ante wager and raise wager if the player hand beats the dealer's hand and the player loses both the ante wager and raise wager if the dealer hand beats the player hand. If the dealer's hand meets qualifying criteria, then the player wins both the ante wager and raise wager if the player's hand beats the dealer's hand and the player loses both the ante wager and raise wager if the dealer's hand beats the player's hand.
In the conventional game of blackjack, basic strategy is the fundamental guiding principle in playing blackjack and is an essential aspect in directing the player as to deciding whether they hit or stand. As such, players generally follow some form of basic strategy when playing blackjack.
In the conventional game of blackjack, players make a decision to hit (accept more cards) or stand (refuse any further cards) to reach a total as close to, without exceeding twenty-one, and obtaining a hand that has a higher point total than the dealer's hand (i.e. if the player has a hand with a total of twenty and the dealer has a hand with a total of nineteen this would be a win for the player). If the player's hand exceeds twenty-one then this would be considered a “busted” hand and the player would lose their wager. Thus basic strategy encourages players not to “bust” when they have higher odds of winning with the cards they have.
In basic strategy, the player uses the dealer's exposed (“up”) card to make their decision as to whether they hit or stand to give them the best chance of beating the dealer.
Basic strategy assumes the dealer's non exposed (“down”) card has a value of ten (ten, Jack, Queen, king), as ten value cards are statistically the most common cards in a standard 52 card deck of playing cards. It encourages players to hit and risk “busting” if there is a high probability the dealer's hand has a higher point total than the players, or to stand (not to take cards) and avoid busting if the odds of winning are in the player's favor.
For example, if the dealer's “up” card is a ten value card, players expect the dealer has a total of twenty (“down” card equals ten and “up” card equals ten for a total of twenty). In this scenario, the dealer likely has a very “strong” hand (i.e. closest to, without exceeding twenty-one), and players will take cards so as to potentially beat a total of twenty. Players will risk taking cards and “busting” as they need to reach the desired total.
Alternatively, if the dealer's “up” card is a six value card, the player assumes the dealer has a total of sixteen. As per the conventional rules of blackjack, the dealer must draw more cards with hands that total less than seventeen giving the dealer a high probability of “busting”. In this scenario, players will play their hand more conservatively and avoid “busting” in hopes that the dealer will “bust” making the player a winner.
What is needed is an exciting modified blackjack game that combines the familiar aspects of blackjack but with new and entertaining game features that will attract maximum participation of the players, while keeping the odds in favor of the house. The new game should include side wagers because side wagers generally attract players when they are perceived as an extra chance. Just as side wagers attract players, so does having an additional card with several options to proceed based on the initial three cards dealt. It would be especially beneficial to increase the number of wagers made by each player during each round of game play.